The 40 days of Lent commemorate our Lord’s fast in the wilderness. During this time we endeavour to prepare ourselves in holiness that we might properly greet the Risen Christ at the greatest of all Christian Feast Days, Pascha or, in the west, Easter.
We are encouraged to ‘Lay aside all earthly care that we may receive the King of all’
The Lenten season is about reconciliation with God. Our Holy Orthodox Faith gives us a prescribed way to achieve this reconciliation through fasting, prayer and almsgiving. It is a time to learn the inner discipline of abstinence, not just from rich foods but also, more importantly, from vain and empty language and activities.
It is also a time of repentance. All of the Lenten services inspire within us penitent thoughts and hope in the compassion of God. So we are encouraged to unclutter our crowded calendars and replace our activities with the special Lenten services, to return to God from the ‘far country’ of worldly concerns. This will benefit us in numerous ways.
Lent should not be viewed as a kind of inconvenience which, if we suffer through it will automatically credit us with merits. This is Pharisaic. Rather it is a time where we return to Eden in a spiritual sense. It is a spiritual spring (like the season of spring) a time of joy and light.
FIVE SUNDAYS BEFORE LENT
The five Sundays prior to Lent prepare us for this time of spiritual renewal.
On the fifth Sunday we learn about ‘Desire for God’ from the story of Zacchaeus. On the fourth we learn ‘humility’ from the Pharisee and the Publican. The Pharisee was so proud of his righteousness while the Publican could only ask mercy for his sin. On the third Sunday we learn from the prodigal son to return to our Father God and be reconciled. The second Sunday before Lent is called ‘Meat fare’ and from this day on, those who wish to fast, and whose health permits, begin to abstain from meat but enjoy feasting on it on this day. It is also the day when we study passages in the Bible, which refer to the last judgment. The first Sunday before Lent is ‘Cheese Fare’ so we feast on dairy products and then abstain. The subject for this week is ‘Forgiveness’; we try to enter Lent having forgiven those who have offended us that we might be forgiven for our trespasses.
FASTING
Abstaining from animal products and dairy foods is considered to be fasting in the Orthodox Church. A total fast may be observed on Good Friday. (There are other periods of fasting observed during the church year: The Nativity fast for six weeks before Christmas, the Dormition of Mary for two weeks in August and the Apostles fast (Saints Peter & Paul) for two weeks in June. Also, with a few exceptions, every Wednesday and Friday throughout the year are fast days. The month after Easter is fast free as are the twelve days following Christmas. The first week after Easter is known as ‘Bright week’ and is a time of great celebration.)
There is no legalism whatsoever about fasting, it is for those who wish to partake for their own spiritual discipline. There are some who must not fast: those with certain medical conditions, pregnant and nursing mothers and children under seven.
Generally, concerning food, the Church Fathers taught that we should eat all kinds of foods so that ‘on the one hand, we avoid boastful pride and on the other, not show distain for God’s creation which is most excellent’ (St. Gregory of Sinai).
However, periods of fasting are encouraged to gain mastery over oneself and to conquer the passions of the flesh (Not to please God or to afflict ourselves or to repair for sin). Self control is one of the fruits of the Spirit and fasting is believed to be a part of gaining the fruits of the Spirit. Jesus Himself fasted and taught His disciples to fast. He also taught that some forms of evil could not be overcome without it. He taught that fasting should be in secret, like giving. In other words we are not to draw attention to ourselves. There are times when it is better to eat what has been prepared for us rather than to draw attention to our abstinence. We are to avoid pride in fasting, and judging others who are not fasting would be quite wrong.
The church’s song in the Lenten fast is ‘Fasting in the body, brethren, let us also fast from sin’. The tongue also needs to fast, refraining from slander, lies, evil talking, denigrating one’s brother and anger. The eyes need to fast from looking at vain things. The hands and feet should be kept from every evil action.
The Spiritual Fathers are very clear in their teaching about fasting. They insist with the Lord and the Scriptures that men must fast in order to be free from passions and lust. But they insist as well that the most critical thing is to be free from all sin, including the pride, vanity and hypocrisy, which can come through foolish and sinful fasting!
SUNDAYS OF LENT
Each Sunday in Lent has special significance. The first is ‘Orthodox Sunday’ when we celebrate the triumph over the Iconoclasts (who tried to prevent the veneration of icons). This celebration is purely historical but has become part of tradition. St. Gregory Palamas is remembered on the second Sunday. He was a 14th century saint who emphasised mystical prayer and greatly influenced the spirituality in Orthodoxy and advocated the frequent use of the Jesus prayer, ‘Lord Jesus Christ Son of God have mercy on me a sinner’.
Other Sunday themes worth mentioning are:
THE VENERATION OF THE CROSS occurs on the third Sunday when a cross is brought in solemn procession to the centre of the church and remains there for the entire week. We are reminded of Christ’s words in Mark 8:34, ‘if any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’ Our personal discipline during Lent is seen as a limited experience of this.
ST.JOHN OF THE LADDER is remembered on the fourth Sunday of Lent. St. John of the Ladder (Sometimes known as St. John Climacus – using the Greek word for ladder) lived in the sixth and seventh centuries (580-650A.D.). He was the saintly abbot of the Monastery of St. Catherine of Mt.Sinai. His famous work, ‘The Ladder of Divine Ascent’ is still read at meals in monasteries during Lent.
This famous work, reminiscent of the ladder in Jacob’s dream that extended from heaven to earth, is made up of 30 steps enabling us to progress in our journey towards Christ likeness (30 steps represent the30 years of Christ’s life up to His baptism). The ladder is a profound illustration. It was not Jacob who built the ladder to God, it was God Who let down the ladder from heaven and came to where sinful Jacob was. In the same way God came to us through the incarnation and meets us as sinners on the bottom rung of the ladder and climes with us. To be baptised marks the first step of the ladder we then need to make spiritual progress. Christ Himself is the ladder, without His grace we could not make progress at all. But we do have to make some effort to climb. The icon shows a constant stream of monks ascending, there are demons depicted who represent the temptations that attempt to hinder their ascent. This is a wonderful way to understand the relationship between grace and works.
ST. MARY OF EGYPT is remembered on the fifth Sunday. She was a fifth century penitent who is an example in repentance. She lived a life of infamy before being dramatically converted and fleeing to the desert in deep repentance.
PALM SUNDAY is celebrated on the sixth Sunday of Lent; the entry of Christ into Jerusalem being a major Feast Day. It is permitted to eat fish on this day! There is usually a procession through the streets with palms and children carrying candles.
THE LENTEN JOURNEY
The Triodion is a book, which contains hymns and biblical readings for every day of the Lenten season, and Holy Week. Parishes vary in the number of extra services they can provide but Monasteries would follow everything prescribed in the Triodion. Parishioners are encouraged to attend as many extra services as they can.
Each parishioner usually purchases a calendar of church events at the beginning of each year. This is particularly essential during lent. The extra services and fasting guidelines are marked out for us. A typical pattern of Lenten services would look something like this: The Canon of St. Andrew of Crete may be read over the first four days of Lent, it is divided up into four parts and read usually at Great Compline, the last service of the day. The canon is a beautifully written penitential lamentation. St. Andrew very skilfully interwove the great biblical themes with confession and repentance. This is a way of revealing sin to us through the Old Testament stories and helping us to realize that all temptations are common to man and leading us to repentance and forgiveness (St. Andrew or Crete was a 7th century theologian and hymn- writer).
Usually Great Compline is said each Wednesday during Lent and Laudations on Fridays (hymns of praise to venerate the Mother of God).
An important Saturday, the 6th that precedes Palm Sunday is when we remember the raising of Lazarus there is a special liturgy to celebrate this, we begin to ponder Christ’s power over death.
THE PRAYER OF ST. EPHRAIM
St. Ephraim was a 4th century Syrian who was one of the great teachers of spiritual life. He wrote the following prayer for Lent and it is read twice at the end of every Lenten service with prostrations after each petition: – (Prostrations are an act of devotion and reverence with penitential character, this has been replaced by kneeling in the Western church. There are two kinds of prostrations, the ‘Great Prostration’ – raising our hands and eyes to God, crossing ourselves and then kneeling to touch our foreheads on the floor (the Muslims learnt this from the Christians!). The ‘Little Prostration’ involves bending at the waist and touching the floor.
O Lord and Master of my life give me not a spirit of sloath, vain curiosity, lust for power and idle talk.
But give to me, your servant, a spirit of soberness, humility, patience and love.
O Lord and King allow me to see my own faults and not to judge my brother, for you are blessed to the ages of ages.
‘Sloath’ was the word used to describe a form of laziness, which leads to despondency and makes us cynical so that we can see no point in spiritual discipline. There is an absence of spiritual energy.
‘Lust for power’ refers to self-centred living in the way we relate to others.
‘Idle talk’ refers to wrong use of the gift of speech for negative purposes.
‘Soberness’ infers control of the body.
‘Humility’ is living with an honest view of ourselves, not thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought and seeing God’s majesty, goodness and love in everything. It is the opposite of pride but we must be careful not to be proud of our humility!
‘Patience’ is the ability to resist the instinct we have to quickly judge and condemn others.
‘Love’ is the crown of all virtues and a gift from God. It is the desired result of all our spiritual effort.
All this is summarized and brought together in the concluding petition that we might see our own errors and not judge others. The more we are able to do this the more our ultimate enemy, pride will be defeated in us.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Some final thoughts from some Orthodox Saints;
“To see your sins in all their multiplicities and hideousness – this is indeed a gift of God.”
(John of Krondstadt. Russian Saint, 1829 –1909).
He who knows his own sin is higher than the man who resurrects the dead by his prayers. He who is granted the gift of seeing himself is superior to the man who has the gift of seeing angels.
(Saint Isaac the Syrian, 7th century)
Tags: Lent
